Kevin Mills, the Rochester man accused of sexually assaulting a child, pleaded guilty in Thurston County Superior Court on July 11, according to court documents related to the case.
The business owner and gospel singer now awaits a sentencing hearing scheduled for Sept. 26.
Along with the guilty plea, Mills, 39, has agreed to the following charges: two counts of third-degree assault of a child with sexual motivation, one count of forging a request for medication and one count of luring.
The Chronicle previously reported that Mills faced charges of first-degree rape of a child, a Class A felony punishable by up to life in prison. He was arrested and booked into the Thurston County jail on May 22, 2024.
Mills posted bail two days later. The release came with a no-contact order protecting the victim, along with conditions that prohibited him from leaving Western Washington.
Documents filed July 11, 2025, state that the court was “advised that the defendant wished to enter an Alford plea.” After discussing rights with Mills, the court determined that he “made the plea knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently,” and accepted the guilty plea.
Alford pleas are considered guilty pleas, and serve as an acknowledgement that the prosecution — in this case the state of Washington — likely has enough evidence to convict the defendant. They do not, however, serve as an official admission of guilt from the defendant.
A statement of the defendant, dated July 11, 2025, further described the charge that Mills, “being eighteen years or older, for the purpose of sexual gratification, did commit the crime of assault in the third degree against (a) person under the age of thirteen years.”
The document further stated that Mills “did willfully forge a request for medication with the intent of causing the death of a patient,” and that Mills “did lure a person under the age of sixteen years without the consent of the person’s parent or guardian with the intent to facilitate the commission of a crime.”
The charges of third-degree assault of a child and luring are considered Class C felony offenses. The charge of forging a request for medication is considered a Class A felony offense.
On April 18, 2023, Mills and his wife reportedly disclosed the sexual assault to a pastor at Rochester Life Assembly of God. The pastor did not report it to law enforcement.
The case eventually came to law enforcement officials after a friend of Mills’ wife reported the assault on May 21, 2024. The friend was then a business partner with Mills.
According to court documents, the friend stated that Mills’ wife came to her about a year earlier with “shocking information” that Mills was “having an affair” with a young girl. At the time, Mills allegedly confirmed the allegations were true.
Mills was previously a co-owner of Hive 5 Bees and Pacific NW Honey Company. He was also the former owner of Mills Diner in Rochester.
To read past coverage of the case, visit https://tinyurl.com/ysr9725y.
